Many IPTV systems today are based on a Graphical User Interface (GUI) that is displayed on the TV and controlled by a remote control. The remote control normally emits simple key-commands over infrared (IR) or radio signals, e.g., KEY—1, KEY_UP, KEY_OK, etc. The aforementioned GUIs are normally implemented in a set-top box (STB) or the TV, and are either a thin client or thick client. Thin clients normally use web-technologies, such as hypertext markup language (HTML), scalable vector graphics (SVG), or Adobe Flash. A normal GUI of an IPTV system is inherently limited by these key-commands and the fact that the GUI is displayed only on the TV.
An IPTV uses web browser technology to enable IPTV Service Providers to provide media services deployed in communication networks, such as wired and wireless telephone networks. In general, and as described for example in International Publications WO 2010/016836 and WO 2009/134194, IPTV is a system for receiving and displaying multimedia streams encoded as series of IP data packets. Work on IPTV is underway in several contexts, including for example the Open IPTV Forum, which is specifying an end-to-end platform for supplying multimedia and IPTV services to user equipments (UEs) over the Internet and managed networks having controlled quality-of-service (QoS) performance. A version 2 specification of an IPTV architecture is available at www.openiptvforum.org, and the architecture uses the IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) that is specified by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). A UE can access services offered through an IMS in many ways, both wireline (e.g., Ethernet, cable modem, digital subscriber line, etc.) and wireless (e.g., 3GPP-specified cellular radio, IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16, etc.).
The IMS is specified in for example 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 23.228 V8.4.0, IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) Stage 2 (Release 8), March 2008, and other versions of TS 23.228. IMS is described in, for example, R. Noldus et al., “Multi-Access for the IMS Network”, Ericsson Review No. 2, pp. 81-86 (2008); U. Olsson et al., “Communication Services—The Key to IMS Service Growth”, Ericsson Review No. 1, pp. 8-13 (2008); and P. Arberg et al., “Network Infrastructure for IPTV”, Ericsson Review No. 3, pp. 79-83 (2007). Approaches to IMS-based IPTV are described in M. Cedervall et al., “Open IPTV Forum—Toward an Open IPTV Standard”, Ericsson Review No. 3, pp. 74-78 (2007), and T. Cagenius et al., “Evolving the TV experience: Anytime, Anywhere, Any Device”, Ericsson Review No. 3, pp. 107-111 (2006).
The IMS in 3GPP networks uses the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and the Session Description Protocol (SDP) as its basic signaling mechanisms. SIP is a mechanism defined in Request for Comment (RFC) 3261 by the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) for finding endpoints and routing control signals between them and is a set of simple operations, including REGISTER, INVITE, ACK, and BYE. SDP is a protocol for declaring media. In IMS networks, media transport is based on the real-time transport protocol (RTP), among others. 3GPP TS 24.229 V7.11.0, IP Multimedia Call Control Protocol Based on Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) and Session Description Protocol (SDP), Stage 3, Release 7 (March 2008) specifies an IP Multimedia Call Control Protocol based on SIP and SDP. Section 5 of TS 24.229 specifies SIP usage at a UE, and Section 6 of TS 24.229 specifies SDP usage.
For a UE, which for IPTV can be an STB or a TV having integrated STB capabilities, to access an IMS and IPTV services, the UE registers in a serving call session control function (S-CSCF), which is an IMS core node and is in essence a SIP server. The IMS also includes a number of access nodes, including a proxy CSCF (P-CSCF), a media gateway control function (MGCF), and one or more border gateways (BGs), that mediate UE access to the core nodes and through them to content residing on media servers. The UE may include an IP multimedia subscriber identity module (ISIM), which is an application, or computer program, residing on a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) that enables the UE to register and access the IMS. The ISIM is typically preconfigured with parameters necessary to initiate the UE's registration to the IMS, including a private user identity, one or more public user identities, and a home network domain name.
Touch-screen devices and more recent multi-touch-screen devices, such as the iPad available from Apple Inc. and many other tablet, netbook, and other computers available from many manufacturers, have become increasingly popular and are beginning to be configured as remote controls for user's electronic devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,339,580 to Westerman et al. states that it discloses apparatus and methods for simultaneously tracking multiple finger and palm contacts as hands approach, touch, and slide across a proximity-sensing, compliant, and flexible multi-touch surface that consists of compressible cushion dielectric, electrode, and circuitry layers.
User gestures have been used to control electronic devices. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,340,077 to Gokturk et al. states that three-dimensional position information obtained with a camera is used to identify the gesture created by a user's body part of interest. At one or more instances of an interval, the posture of a body part is recognized based on the part's shape, position, and orientation. The posture of the body part over the instances is recognized as a combined gesture, and the gesture is classified for determining an input into a related electronic device.
For another example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,191,773 to Maruno et al. states that it relates to an interface apparatus for making input and output of appliances. The interface apparatus includes means for recognizing the shape or move of the hand of an operator, means for displaying the features of the shape or move of the hand recognized as a special shape on a screen, and means for controlling the information displayed on the screen by the special shape. Different user hand shapes or moves can select different user electronic devices.
Currently, it is not possible for a user to control an IPTV system with gestures.